The Phoenix Syndrome by Claire Gem
Turning forty, for Lannie Marvin, is rough. It’s the day she discovers her husband is leaving her for a younger “soulmate.” At work, a crazed mouse being treated with an experimental drug brutally bites her. Then, Lannie goes a little crazy, too.
Seems she’s recently developed a serious crush on the drummer of her son’s favorite heavy metal band. Waking up to her husband’s empty closet, her finger still throbbing from the mouse bite, Lannie snaps. Under the ruse of a shopping trip, Lannie kidnaps her sister-in-law/best friend, and heads toward Bethel, New York – the site of the original Woodstock concert.
Just so happens Dreamwish is playing a concert there, and Lannie managed to procure the pair of tickets her son won but couldn’t use.
Tristan Allard, the band’s drummer, holds this benefit every year in memory of his wife, whom he lost to breast cancer. The musician is beginning to doubt his ability to write the band’s music without his wife’s inspiration – she was also his muse. Plus, he’s damn lonely. So when a sexually charged, extremely attractive, slightly older woman literally plows into him at the backstage reception, Tristan is ready to learn more about her – and her long-buried interest in musical composition.
The two head off for a wild ride of a weekend, but reality boomerangs around way too soon. Tristan is headed to the UK to audition his next album’s scores. And an elevated libido isn’t the only side-effect of that experimental drug.
Description
Find more from this author on:
About the author:
She writes in two genres: romance w/a ghostly twist, and sexy contemporary. Claire’s books are like a thrill ride at a theme park. Whether it’s spooky-scary, angst-ridden relationships filled with gut-wrenching turmoil, silly chuckle moments, or hot-flash-inducing sex, Claire guarantees to take you on an emotionally intense romantic journey
What inspired you to write your book?
That one line (and the reaction to it!) spurred the entire story idea.
Here is a short sample from the book:
But then there was the drummer. If not for the overhead monitors panning in for close-ups during the performance, I might never have known he existed. What a travesty that would have been.
In a word, he was . . . magnificent. He sat like a king on his throne at the elevated rear of the stage, sparkling silver-flake drums surrounding him like loyal minions. The monitor directly over our seats focused on him often, so close and so clear I could see the sweat glistening on sculpted upper arms, bare beneath a black muscle shirt stretched taut across a broad chest. Some sort of ink crawled over one bicep. A black-and-white paisley bandanna covered most of his head, but long, dark curls framed his face and clung damp against his neck. His facial hair, limited to a sparse mustache and goatee, was chocolate brown. I indulged in the fantasy that his eyes were that same sweet, smoldering color.
His passion for his work was palpable. Hands flying, head bobbing, he was completely engrossed, as if the music were a drug he was tripping on. His hooded eyes gave him the look of a sleepy lover, but when he did open them, I could swear he was gazing directly at me.
Looking back on that night, I can’t be sure how long we’d sat there before I fixated on my drummer boy. The music, which at first grated on my senses as way too loud and completely discordant, gradually began to permeate my brain. Before long, my bare toes started tapping against the carpeted floor. I freed one hand from my cup of wine to pat my thigh in time with the music. When my head began to bob, almost of its own accord, I smiled.
Ah, now I know why they call progressive metal fans head bangers.
We were climbing into my brother’s SUV, Paul at the wheel with Jeri and Jay next to him in the front. I sat squashed between my husband and son in the back.
“So, what did you guys do for all that time?” Ryan asked.
“We saw Dreamwish,” Paul piped up from the front, sounding as though his statement actually made sense.
“You saw our concert? You guys?” Jay sputtered through his laughter.
I opened my eyes to find my son staring at me in much the same way Jeri had been earlier.
“How’d you like it, Mom?” Ryan asked in a slight singsong of ridicule, which I chose to ignore.
I hesitated, clearing my throat. “The music is . . . different,” I said.
I caught my brother watching me in the rearview mirror. He was wearing an impish grin. “It’s true, Ryan,” he said. “For a while there, we were afraid your mother might run off with one of the roadies.”
“To hell with the roadies,” I snapped. “If I run off, it will definitely be with the yummy drummer.”
Related products
-
Oceans Apart 2 by Amanda Heartley
Virtual sex gets a dose of reality when Tristan Armstrong is back in town. …and she’s the only thing on his mind.
He returns to L.A., mixing high-powered business with a lot of pleasure, courtesy of his deliciously curvy girl, Ginny Peterson.
…but what she overhears during a quiet, passionate morning with her British lover, breaks her heart. Has Tristan been double-dipping? Does he really love her or is she just his West Coast fling for when he’s in town? Doubt creeps in for Ginny, as the patriarch of the Armstrong Empire will do anything and everything he can to keep them apart…as if the Atlantic Ocean isn’t wide enough already.
Tristan’s frustration grows as he tries to protect her from the one person he should love and trust, …his father. Mom’s fighting her own demons from the past and when she divulges the truth, it could change Tristan’s life forever.
Is their romance doomed before it starts?
Don’t miss a single minute of the second installment of Amanda Heartley’s panty-melting, new adult erotic romance!
Oceans Apart is intended for a mature audience, 18+ only.
Twin Mystification by Serene Kwan
Identity crisis is always such a perplexing problem….Falling in love has always been difficult, but it’s even more challenging when the love triangle involves a pair of identical twins. Rick Brooklyn is an innocent would-be pianist who incidentally falls in love with one of the lovely twins. An angelic face matched with a kind personality. Yet, his love is put to the test when he bumps into the other twin who is the complete opposite of the female sophomore he is in love with. Will he be able to tell them apart? Or, is his initial chance encounter with the angelic twin nothing more than a casual gamble of fate?
Coyote Heart by Paula Margulies
Trapped in a troubled marriage with a disabled husband, Carolyn Weedman is ripe for a change in her life. After a chance encounter with a widowed Pala Indian professor, Carolyn finds herself drawn into an unexpected love affair. Torn by conflicting feelings, she discovers a secret about her husband’s past that forces her to confront her divided emotions and choose between the two men that she loves.
Set against the simmering backdrop of local politics on the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego, this new and revised edition of Coyote Heart explores the intricacies of illicit love and marriage, the strength that comes from sacrifice, and the courage to forgive the injuries of the past.
Editor’s Choice Award Winner, 21st Annual San Diego State University Writers’ Conference
Spring Into Romance Contest Finalist, Romance Writers of America – San Diego Chapter
Santa Fe Writer’s Project Finalist, Literary Awards Program
The Trouble With St. John: A Samantha Stone Novel by Katie Bloomstrom
“After all that work and sleuthing and investment in my great detective notebook, I had nothing. In fact, the only successful thing I’ve done since stepping foot on this island was successfully believe all the lies everyone told me. Oh, I’ve also successfully been kidnapped, successfully almost drowned, and successfully eaten more Xanax than I’ve ever eaten before in my life. And in two days I’m supposed to just leave and pretend none of this ever happened. If I can even leave after being framed for murder.”
When shy, medium-looking Samantha Stone winds up on the romantic tropical island of St. John after getting dumped at the altar, she’s faced with two options: (1) sit in her sweaty villa and cry over her un-marriage to her idiot ex-fiancé while watching Love Actually on repeat and mass-eating Oreos and Xanax, or (2) pursue a hot vacation sexcapade with the gorgeous travel god she meets at baggage claim. Really, what’s a girl to do?
But, after losing both her super spendy non-diamond engagement ring and her mysterious tropical island fling candidate in the same drunken night, Sam quickly learns that St. John isn’t quite what she bargained for. In fact, she’ll be lucky if she can make it back home alive.
Join breakthrough author Katie Bloomstrom as she takes you on a journey into a picture perfect paradise filled with men, money, and mystery where nothing – and no one – is quite what it seems.
ALL THAT I DESIRE by Francis Ray
Promotional price for Kindle and Nook is $4.55.
LOVE IS NEVER PICTURE-PERFECT.
Nothing can stop a woman like Skylar Dupree once she makes up her mind. Defying her family and leaving law school, she’s landed her dream job as an event director at the prestigious Navarone Resorts and Spas in Arizona. It’s all that Skylar’s ever desired—until she sees Rio Sanchez, the resort’s head of security and Blade Navarone’s own personal bodyguard. He’s the sexiest, most striking man she’s ever met.
SOMETIMES IT’S EVEN BETTER…
When Skylar starts planning a huge charity auction at the resort, it’s Rio’s job to keep an eye on the prized art she collects from donors. Though he’s not blind to Skylar’s beauty, Rio is nothing if not professional—and he refuses to make a move. But when a mysterious stranger enters the picture—and puts Skylar’s life in danger—Rio attempts to protect her…only to be told, in no uncertain terms, that Skylar is capable of taking care of herself. Her brazen independence is enough to drive Rio crazy…with desire. Could it be that the strong, hard-hearted Rio has finally met his match?
Book and eBook available now in stores and online.
Thanks
Doing it Risqué by Clarissa Wild
After a fiery night, Grace Bennett couldn’t get over sexy Finn Wood, no matter how much she tried. To make matters worse, her father agreed to a deal and now Grace has to marry one of the worst guys out there. She’s determined to keep that from happening, and forges a plan with Finn, so they can be together after all. Will she succeed?
The Butterfly Storm by Kate Frost
Four years ago life for Sophie Keech was perfect. A new start in Greece with Alekos, her boyfriend of just six weeks, removes Sophie from a mundane 9-5 job, takes her away from the difficult relationship she has with her mum, and gives her the opportunity and belief that she is finally doing something positive and exciting with her life.
But a lot can change in four years. An engagement, a domineering mother-in-law to be and the reality of life in Greece not being quite what Sophie imagined puts a strain on her relationship with Alekos.
When an accident forces Sophie back to the UK to look after her estranged mum, she has time to re-evaluate her life, her idea of family, where she wants to be and, most importantly, who she loves.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.